As many as one in five churches could permanently close as a result of shutdowns stemming from the coronavirus pandemic, according to David Kinnaman, president of the prominent Christian research organization Barna Group.
In a conversation with the National Public Radio, Kinnaman says things were going along "swimmingly" at first during the COVID 19 pandemic, but as churches began opening up, there are a considerable less number of attenders. And that affects the collection plate.
One in 5 churches could close – and that number could be understated now, he said in the NPR interview. When asked how likely they would be to believe their churches will survive the pandemic's economic effect, 70 percent of pastors Barna asked thought they would be fine. Now that number has dropped to 58%.
Hear the interview HERE.
